Published 7:00 pm, Monday, June 9, 2008

Rice University piano doctoral student and West University resident Jeewon Lee dazzled the crowd at the Ima Hogg Young Artist Competition on Saturday. Spectators filled the Stude Concert Hall at the Shepherd School of Music to hear the four finalists compete for a prize of $5,000 and the chance to play alongside the Houston Symphony later this summer.

Lee is from Seoul, Korea. She, along with three other competitors, was chosen as a finalist from a field of 76 in a previous round of competition. As an elite pianist with an active solo career, Lee has been given much acclaim before she arrived in Houston to study with John Kimura Parker at the Shepherd School.

As a young musician, Lee performed for renowned pianist Daniel Pollack and subsequently came to America to study with him in 1995. After graduating from Northwestern University as an undergraduate, she went to Julliard. Now, Lee is enjoying her experiences in Houston.

“Houston is a more spacious city,” she said. “I feel like I have a lot more room to grow with the culture and the teachers, along with the wonderful school and my colleagues.”

The Ima Hogg competition is named after the woman known as “The First Lady of Texas.” Hogg was a philanthropist, art collector, and accomplished pianist. Lee was appearing for the second time in the competition named after one of the most respected women in Texas history. Lee made it to the semi-finals last year.

“Over the year, I worked on it,” Lee said. “Hopefully I grew since last time.”

She showed off that growth at the concert with her electrifying performance that clearly touched everyone in the crowd. Though she did not walk away with the top prize, she was awarded the Herman Shoss Audience Choice Award, which was voted on by audience members and viewers watching on public television.

“There is a spark of musicality there, a connection to the music,” said judge Robert Franz, associate conductor of the Houston Symphony, about her performance. “I think that is probably part of what was attractive to the audience about her.”

Performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1, Lee knew that she would have to put in a spark to connect with the audience. “This concerto requires a lot of energy and stamina,” she said.

The energy she brought won over the crowd and was good enough to win her The Jean Whitebread Kucera Award, given to the third runner up in the competition. “Just the fact that I got this far is a huge accomplishment,” said Lee. “It means a lot.”

Lee will continue her studies at the Shepherd School of Music to earn her doctorate and plans on continually competing to advance her solo career.